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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23635660">Listless Homecoming</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/AceSparkleGirl/pseuds/AceSparkleGirl'>AceSparkleGirl</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Homestuck</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Comfort, Earth C (Homestuck), Epilogue, Friendship, Gen, Implied Relationships, POV Terezi Pyrope, Post-Canon</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-04-13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-04-13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-02 19:35:42</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,001</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23635660</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/AceSparkleGirl/pseuds/AceSparkleGirl</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>After God knows how long in space, Terezi makes a long-awaited return.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Terezi Pyrope &amp; Dave Strider &amp; Karkat Vantas</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Listless Homecoming</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Happy 4/13.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Sometimes, it’s funny how things pan out. Out minute you’re pretty sure that everything is bound to work out, and the next, you’re horn deep in space juice.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Well. Okay, there is no such thing as space juice, you completely made that up just now. Space juice isn’t real, and apparently neither are happy endings, because you have yet to reach yours. Your name is Terezi Pyrope, and you are totally and utterly screwed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Okay, maybe that’s overreacting. Maybe. Because you aren’t totally and utterly screwed if you’ve at least managed to scrounge up enough energy to drag your sorry ass back to Earth C. Earth C. What a sorry excuse for something that’s supposed to be your new home, honestly. Nothing's as bright and colorful as it should be. Green grass and blue skies clash horribly with your memory of lush pink trees and lovely teal horizons. Sometimes you wish you could go back— but at the same time, you're well aware of how badly that would end. As much as you hate being so out of the loop, being your past self would probably be worse.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>You scoff as your feet come in contact with the ground, and you feel yourself sway as you do so. Damn legs aren’t used to gravity anymore, you suppose, but whatever. The walk to your destination should be enough to get accustomed again. Or, at least, it would be, if you had failed to land as close as you did.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The hive you’re looking for turns out to be closer than you expected. By the time you reach it, your legs are still shaking, and you're positive that you have not walked in a straight line the entire way there. Getting to the front door is a relief, as you are able to lean into the building as you raise your fist to knock rhythmically against it. The solidity of the metal feels grounding under your knuckles, and you are pleasantly surprised when Karkat is the one to answer your knocking and pull the door open. You are significantly less surprised when he opens his mouth and the same old raspy voice comes out.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, look who it fucking is, Terezi Pyrope, queen of absolutely all of god damn Paradox Space,” he exclaims, and you feel the whoosh of air as he dramatically throws his hands upwards. You offer a tired smile in response. It’s nothing like the energetic grin he’s become so used to, and you can tell just by the breath he takes in.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Gee, Karkat,” you muse sarcastically, offering him a roll of your eyes behind your pointy red glasses. Even those have seemed to wear out by now— you are pretty sure there’s a solid crack along the left lens, but it doesn’t matter. Really, all they’re for is some sort of incredibly useless cool factor that quite literally does not matter for anything. Not anymore. Not that they ever did. “It’s nice to know that I get a nice greeting after my brief vacation. Really, it’s </span>
  <em>
    <span>amazing</span>
  </em>
  <span> to know you haven’t changed.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, wow, and here I thought I missed your bleeding sarcasm, Pyrope.” Despite the way that he tries to sound mad, you’ve known him for long enough to sense the concern in his voice, even if you weren’t able to smell the way his expression has twisted uncomfortably. It's a look you're familiar with; it reminds you of times in the past you'd rather forget, but forgetting things as a Seer of Mind feels far from possible. But you'd like to try, so you force a sharp and toothy grin towards him and push off of the frame, seeming to wobble slightly as you advance towards him, letting a hand come out before you to steady yourself with a hand against his shoulder. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Well, fuck, no need to be so rude," you mumble, snorting as you let out a laugh. It’s a startled one this time— you weren’t expecting to nearly fall horn-first into your best friend’s chest. Can you still call him that? It’s times like this that it dawns on your just how long you were gone, and the feeling that you get in your stomach doesn’t feel... fair. It’s like you can’t wrap yourself around the pathetic feeling of poetic justice that, in all honesty, you probably would have done anything for a few sweeps ago. But forget that, right? “And here I thought I missed your grumpy voice, Nubs.” You did. You absolutely did, but he can probably tell by the way your hand hasn’t left his shoulder until you make the comment. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Before he can make any sort of snarky Karkat-type response, there’s a southern drawl from behind him asking ‘who the fuck is letting in all of the light’, and none other than a knight in red-clad pajamas flash-steps beside him. You wish for a moment that you could properly see the look on his face when you hear him scoff, the sound of a foot scuffing against the floor jarring you back to reality. “Well, holy </span>
  <em>
    <span>fuck</span>
  </em>
  <span>, if it ain’t Terezi,” Dave muses, going to nudge Karkat to the side. You hear the troll’s subsequent grumble, and Dave somehow audibly rolls his eyes behind his shades. “Welcome back, TZ. Are you just gonna make her stand here like a fucking idiot, ‘Kat, or are you planning to let her in?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“She’d be inside already if you didn’t decide to be such a fucking douche about my manners, Dave,” Karkat snaps back, baring blunt teeth back at him. All the while, you just stand there— much like Dave so expertly described it to be as ‘a fucking idiot’. Really, you’re impressed that his prose has remained the same this whole time. It dawns on you that both of them smell different. Even though Karkat’s still shorter than Dave (not a terribly easy feat to beat, you think, attention turning to the way that he towers over you as well), he seems to have gotten sturdier. You could feel that in his shoulder as well— it’s not just all in your unique form of sight. Your lips curl upwards in a small smirk before you roll back tired shoulders and look up towards Dave. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thanks,” you offer stiffly, stepping into the hive as Dave and Karkat step back. It’s comforting to know that they seem to be just as close as they were on the meteor— though, whether or not they’ve actually figured out their shit is a topic on which you’re pretty confident the answer to is no. And that’s something you can relate to. You're just relieved they haven't asked why you're alone. “Now— if you two have a loungeplank around here, I’d love to be directed to it.” You pitifully hold out a hand, as if you’re truly, one hundred percent useless when it comes to leading yourself around, and the warm roughness of the hand that takes your own definitely belongs to Karkat, who is still remarkably quiet.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Jesus, Pyrope,” he mumbles, shaking his head as he leads you forward. You feel a rush of air as Dave flash-steps again, and you inhale sharply. The hive is still as dark as you recall them keeping it. Even though the Earth C sun doesn’t hold the same danger that Alternia’s sun harbored, it’s oddly comforting that Karkat seems to lean towards the caution of avoiding it. “You can’t just stand here and act like you’ve never walked before. I know for a fact that you’re all about butting into people’s business, and I know you know how to sneak around like some sort of weird fucking cryptid teal. You can—”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>You cut him off with a kick to his shin, and you hear Dave laugh on the other side of you. If your hand wasn't being preoccupied, you'd cross your arms like a proper lawyer. But even that has grown exhausting. “Karkat,” you muse, looking over towards him with an exaggerated pout. “I have been quite literally flying through fucking space for the past— I don’t fucking know how long. I’m not a Hero of Time. So if you’re going to complain that I don’t exactly have my land legs right now, I don’t want to hear it.” As you stop talking, your leg comes in contact with a cushion, and you’re being begrudgingly lowered into a seat. Relief almost immediately overcomes you, and you let out a satisfied sigh.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay, okay, I’m sorry," Karkat muses, and it dawns on you that he seems to be lowering his voice for once. There's weight beside you, and then another on the opposite side, and you feel Karkat's hand leave yours only for a cold glass to take its place. Your eyes go wide for a moment before you inhale, glancing over towards Dave. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Water," is his response to your wordless question, and your shoulders rise defensively. He's right, but he doesn't have to be. "Karkat motioned to the kitchen, you can thank him." </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Oh— fuck so far off, Strider," Karkat spits back, and you feel the couch shift as he pulls his legs up with him. "I just figured she'd be thirsty." And he's right. You are. You lift the glass to your lips and let yourself have a sip, and it's not until you're swallowing it that you realize just how badly you needed this. The glass is empty within seconds, and as it would be expected, Karkat's silence speaks volumes. Dave offers to fill it up for you, but before he can take it from your hands, Karkat's reaching over for it  and sliding off the couch. "I got it," he says quickly, and before you can respond, he's gone. Sweeps ago, you could keep up with his speed, but after spending such a long time alone and desperately searching for something— no, some</span>
  <em>
    <span>one</span>
  </em>
  <span>— that was long gone, you're too caught up in your own head to focus on being good at quipping back at him like you used to. It's a reminder of your separation, and you sink back into the couch like an injured barkbeast.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Apparently it's enough to alert Dave, because you hear a faint snap, and it's followed by the feeling of his cape draping down over your shoulders, the button gently getting snapped back together round your neck. Your attention turns to him, eyebrows furrowed in confusion by the gesture. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"He's been worried about you," is all he says to your quizzical expression, and your shoulders relax beneath the cape. "We all have been. It's really great to see you again, Terezi, we missed you." The comment is completed with a gentle nudge, and your stomach twists. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Well," you try, mulling your thoughts over for a moment. “It’s not like I was trying to hide from any of you. You just didn’t—” You want to argue that they didn’t message you, but they did. You’re well aware of dozens of messages that you marked as read despite the fact that they had not been. They were too much of a reminder that you had people who did care about you— people who were </span>
  <em>
    <span>there</span>
  </em>
  <span> for you, and weren’t missing, weren’t gone, weren’t impossible to find. The thought creases your brow, and you let your shoulders relax. “...It’s been hard,” you finally admit, teeth worrying at your lower lip. It’s an admission that you never wanted to have, but as soon as you say it, you feel lighter. You let your hands come up to hold onto the cape, and you sigh, going to lean half-assedly into Dave’s side.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The other side of the couch tips down as you do, and you feel Karkat’s hand come to your shoulder, the sound of ice clinking against glass in his other. It’s a touch that says he understands, and he just sighs before he speaks. "Welcome home, Terezi." </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It’s the first time that you’ve heard the word ‘home’ and actually felt okay with it.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>This is a piece I did for the <a href="https://terezine.tumblr.com/">Terezine</a>. It was released back in October, but I never did post my piece alone. So, here it is.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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